Apple, others sued over online media distribution

Defunct online movie provider Intertainer has filed a lawsuit against Apple, Google and Napster, alleging that the three companies are infringing on a patent that covers the commercial distribution of digital media over the Internet. “Founded in 1996, Intertainer developed technology to distribute movies on demand through cable and phone lines for viewing on televisions and personal computers. It gained investors including Intel, Microsoft, Sony, NBC and Comcast,” according to the New York Times. The company shut down in 2002, filing a suit against the Hollywood studios behind Movielink for anticompetitive actions. The studios settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum, and Intertainer is now considered a patent licensing business.